Category Archives: Oilfield Theft

In an article recently published by the Houston Chronicle, we learned that prosecutors have made oil theft a federal offense. The event occurred at the Itero Energy Monahans Facility in Monahans, Texas. A 34 year old man named David Wayne Shroeder was part of an oil theft case by stealing truckloads of oil from a West Texas based facility. Apparently the theft was motivated by drug addiction and made feasible by Mr. Schroeder’s knowledge and ability to handle petroleum industry gear. Schroeder was caught red-handed in the middle of the night at an energy facility in the outlands of West Texas by a local…

As unfortunate as it is, theft is an inevitable part of business. For as long as there have been businesses, there have been people who sought to steal, whether it is physical goods or labor. Retail theft runs a cost of around $42 billion annually while labor theft (a failure to pay workers for their wage) is estimated to cost workers upwards of $50 billion a year. While these figures paint a very unfortunate picture of theft in America, these are only two big, broad categories of theft. We’re here to tell you about a kind of theft that is…

Oilfield security is currently a major issue in the United States. Most oil and gas production sites are located in remote locations which has typically made them both prime targets for thieves. They are difficult to monitor so thieves are often able to move in and out quickly with little or no detection. This is driven by the tremendous growth in oil and gas activities, followed by the collapse in commodity prices and associated reductions. These types of thefts range from small items like tools to large, expensive production equipment. There is now a sizable black market for oilfield tools and equipment. Losses…